The author set out to create a family tree of his maternal ancestors and relations but discovered much more than a list of names and dates. This history of the remarkable Lancaster family, descendants of John Lancaster and Jane King of Pateley Bridge, Yorkshire, is rich in biographical detail. What shines through in these stories is their stoicism in the face of adversity, their close family ties and love for each other, their optimism and endless striving to create a better life for themselves and their communities. They 'upped sticks' from Pateley Bridge and moved to the industrial West Riding, to the United States of America, to Belgium and to Australia. They took risks, followed their rainbows and made what they could of their opportunities.